Kathleen Newland, MPI Co-Founder and Director of the Refugee Policy and Migrants, Migration, and Development Programs

In 2012, both the U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reported increases in the numbers of unaccompanied minors who are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, being picked up, and placed into their care. With unaccompanied minors having a particular set of protection needs, there is growing concern over the increase and how to handle the influx while ensuring their needs are met. Representatives from the Women's Refugee Commission conducted a fact-finding mission at the border in 2012 to discover more about this trend and the resulting impacts, and KIND serves unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. immigration system alone and strives to ensure that no child appears in immigration court without representation.

MPI was pleased to host a discussion with experts from both KIND and the Women’s Refugee Commission, focusing on the causes of the increase in unaccompanied minor migrants, the situation these minors face once detained or apprehended, and the challenges confronting both nongovernmental organizations trying to provide aid and the U.S. government agencies responsible for processing minors through the system.

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Migrants, Migration, and Development

MPI's Migrants, Migration, and Development Program focuses on the intersection of migration and development policies and trends, moving beyond simple notions that development is a “cure” for migration or that migration is a recipe for development.

U.S. Immigration Policy Program

MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program analyzes U.S. policies and their impacts, as well as the complex demographic, economic, political, foreign policy, and other forces that shape immigration to the country.